حاول أحد نزلاء دار potens للرعاية في ليفربول بإنجلترا اغتصاب جيما ريكسون 20 عاما والتي تعمل بالدار أثناء فترة عملها في الفترة الليلية.
و هاجم كريج كانتويل العاملة ولكنها قاومته ثم دفعته وفرت لأقرب حمام مجاور ولكنه اتبعها وبدأ بتكسير الحائط مستخدما أحد المقاعد؛ فقامت بالقفز من النافذة الواقعة على ارتفاع 20 قدما.
وأكد الأطباء أنها تعانى من كسر بفقرتين بالعمود الفقرى وكسر بالرقبة والقدم؛ وطالبت جيما دور الرعاية بتوفير الأمن للعاملين بها حيث إنها كانت تعمل وحدها ليلا بالإشراف على 6 نزلاء يعانى أغلبهم من مشاكل صحية وعقلية.
من جانبها أصدرت محكمة ليفربول في بريطانيا حكما على المتهم بالسجن 11 عاما لأنه تسبب بأضرار جسدية وكان يخطط للقيام بجريمة جنسية.
وأوضح أحد المسئولين عن الدار بأنهم يشعرون بالأسف لما تعرضت له جيما وتعهد بتوفير المزيد من الرعاية للعاملين.
- Jemma Rixon, 20, was attacked by schizophrenic resident, Craig Cantwell
- She'd been left on her own to work night shift at Potens residential home
- Ms Rixon broke her spine after she was forced to jump 20ft out of a window
A care worker broke her spine after jumping from a window to escape a sex attack by a schizophrenic resident who had broken through a wall with a chair to get to her.
Jemma Rixon, 20, was working a night shift alone at the Potens residential home in Birkenhead, Merseyside when she was attacked by schizophrenic resident, Craig Cantwell, in July 2013.
After the 30-year-old patient tried to attack her, she managed to fight him off and fled to an adjoining bathroom.
But he battered his way through the wall with a chair leg to try and continue the assault where she hid.
Jemma Rixon broke her spine after jumping from a window to escape a sex attack by a schizophrenic resident who had hacked through a wall to assault her
As Cantwell hacked his way through the wall, she realised that the only way to escape was to jump from the window, breaking her spine in the 20ft drop to the ground.
Cantwell was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court for nine years in April this year, where he was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm, affray and committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual crime.
He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders register for life.
Judge Alan Conrad said that Cantwell ‘submitted a young carer, working on her own at night, to a violent and terrifying ordeal’ and ordered that the care home should be investigated for allowing Jemma to work by herself.
Now but Ms Rixon has called for more to be done to protect care staff from dangerous residents.
Miss Rixon was working a night shift alone at the Potens residential home in Birkenhead, Merseyside when she was attacked by schizophrenic resident, Craig Cantwell. He broke through a wall to try to attack her
After the 30-year-old patient tried to attack her, she managed to fight him off and fled to an adjoining bathroom. But he hacked his way through the wall to try and continue the assault where she hid
As Cantwell hacked his way through the wall with a chair, she realised that the only way to escape was to jump from the window, breaking her spine in the 20ft drop to the ground
Ms Rixon, from Wirral, Merseyside, said: 'I should never have been left on my own. On that night, I had sole responsibility for six residents - many of whom have mental health problems. It wasn’t safe for me to be the only member of staff on shift.
'Craig tried to rape me, and he almost killed me. I genuinely thought I was going to die.
'I knew I had only one choice: jump out of the window, or stay and be raped - or even worse, killed.
'I should never have been put in that situation.'
Ms Rixon had worked as a carer since leaving school, and had been working for the Potens care company for 10 months when she was attacked.
Cantwell was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court for nine years in April this year
Just hours into her night shift, she was confronted by Cantwell, who had been setting off the building’s fire alarms and disrupting other residents.
When he claimed to have a headache, Ms Rixon took him upstairs to the medicine room. Whilst she was filling out the paperwork, Cantwell locked the door and barricaded himself and Ms Rixon inside.
She said: 'I tried not to show that I was scared and attempted to talk him round by saying that we could go back downstairs for a cup of tea.
'Suddenly, he lunged towards me, telling me to get in the bathroom and bend over. He said he was going to kill me and called me a whore.
'I was absolutely terrified, but before I had time to do anything, he flung me across the room and started punching me.
'I scratched at his neck to fight him off, and then I ran into the bathroom and locked myself in.
'I thought I was safe, but as I tried to call the police, he started bashing his way through the wall using a chair.'
She said:'It was a 20ft drop, but I didn’t have a choice. Either I jumped out of the window, or I waited to see what Craig had in store for me.'
Landing on her back, Ms Rixon was temporarily paralysed and crawled to safety, where she was rescued by two milkmen and rushed to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
Doctors told her that she had broken two vertebrae and fractured her neck and foot. She stayed in hospital for two weeks, and had to use a back brace and wheelchair until she regained the ability to walk again.
Her parents Lorraine, 42, and Robert, 45, were on hand to help - along with her boyfriend, factory worker, Ste Rutter, 27.
But Ms Rixon says the mental effects of the attack have been harder to recover from.
She said: 'I had terrible nightmares about the attack, and woke up screaming.
'Diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, I had to go to counselling and take antidepressants.
Now but Ms Rixon has called for more to be done to protect care staff from dangerous residents
'I was terrified of everyone and everything.'
Now hoping to raise awareness for other care workers, Ms Rixon said: 'I went into this job because I love to help people. But my kindness nearly killed me.
'I just hope that other care homes see this and realise how dangerous it is for homes to let people work alone.
'Measures need to be put in place to protect people from going through what I went through.
'I’m lucky to still be alive.'
A spokesperson for the care home said: 'Potensial Ltd regrets this unforeseen and extremely unfortunate incident.
'Ms Rixon remains as an employee of the company, and we will continue in our commitment to support her recuperation.'